February 28, New Delhi: The U.S. has offered diplomatic backing to Pakistan's air strikes on Afghanistan, as Islamabad confirmed on Saturday that it would continue its military operations.
The strikes followed months of intermittent clashes along the border. On Saturday morning, two loud explosions shook Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed on Friday that Afghan forces had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured several others. The Taliban government denied harboring militants and urged dialogue to resolve the conflict, which Pakistan's defense minister described on Friday as an open war.
Pakistan launched the strikes early Friday in response to an Afghan offensive across the border on Thursday night. According to Islamabad, 37 locations across Afghanistan have been targeted since the operation began.
This marks Pakistan's most extensive bombardment of Kabul and its first air strikes on Kandahar, the southern Taliban stronghold of its supreme leader since their return to power in 2021.